Hydraulic reloader



Dec. 15, 1959 D. G. Rozzl-:LLE

HYDRAULIC RELOADER 3 sheets-sneer 1 Filed Dec. 12, 1955 l l I l I l l I INVENTOR. Donald G. Razze/Ie BY @Qgwffuml ATTORNEYS l Dec. 15,1959 DLG. RozzELLE 2,916,960v

I vHYDRAULIC RELOADER v Filed Dec. 12', 1955 s sheets-.sheet 2` Illunllllm up umh Donald G. Rozzelle ATTORNEYS Dec. l5, 1959 D. G. Rozzr-:LLE 2,916,960

HYDRAULIC RELOADER Filed DGO. 12, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR 53 .Donald- G. Razze/le ATTORNEY United States This invention relates to small arms ammunition reloading equipment, and more particularly to a hydraulically-operated ammunition re-loader arranged to perform all necessary operations for re-loading small arms cartridges.

Manygun enthusiasts, hunters, and especially proponents of match shooting, utilize hand-loaded ammunition. While commercial ammunition is satisfactory for certain purposes, hand-loaded ammunition is normally considerably more accurate. More important, however, only a few variations in loads and sizes are commercially available. As different loads and different sizes or calibers of bullets are required and commercially unavailable calibersof fire arms are utilized, hand loading becomes imperative. Numerous types of hand-loading equipment are currently available; however, they are normally lever actuated which requires the physical power of theoperator to perform the various functions of the machine. Such physical labor quickly tires the user and reduces not only his speed of operation, but also his care and-accuracy. Further, the usual handdoading system requires several different machines to perform the various steps necessary in hand loading the ammunition.

Included among the objects and advantages of the present invention, is an economical, precision hand loader havingfa two-way hydraulic cylinder arranged for performingany of'the various functions of hand loading ammunition including bullet swaging, neckingand sizing, primer removal, priming, and the like. The device is arranged to utilize various types of dies and various commercial dies such as for sizing and swaging and the like. The device is so arranged that it may be quickly converted from one operation to the other with a minimum of time and effort and produce maximum production with precision.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention may be readily ascertained by referring to the' following description and illustrations in which:

"Fig. l is a side elevational view'of a loader according to the invention illustrating two positions of operation for the various functions of the device;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional top elevation of a device according to the invention;

, Fig. 3 is a side elevation, in partial section, of a bulletswaging voperation of the device; Y

, 4Fig. 4 isl an enlarged detail of the die-lock mechanism for the bullet-swaging die; y

,I-Tig. 5 is an end elevation of the bullet-swaging die according to the invention; Y

Fig. 6 is a top elevational view of a die-holding bar mounted on riser bars, according to the invention; and

'Fig-7 is a schematic view of a hydraulic system for the vention.

I As illustrated in Fig. l, the device is shown in unright.

position labeled A and -in horizontal position labeled B. "I n the upright or A position the devicev isi arranged,

arent ire to work the cartridge case or brass itself for performing various functions thereon, and in the horizontal position B the device is arranged for swaging bullets. The device comprises a two-way hydraulic cylinder 1, more fully described hereafter having a lower cylinder cap Z and an upper cylinder cap 3 interconnected and held in place by means of four tie rods or stud and nut assemblies 4. The upper cylinder cap 3 includes a yoke 5 extending laterally of the axis of the cylinder. The yoke is rotatably secured by means of a bolt and nut assembly 6 to a bench mount 7. The rotatable mount 6 permits the Y cylinder to be turned from its vertical position to horizontal position. A pair of hydraulic hoses with appropriate connectors S and 9 are secured to the upper cap and lower cap 3 and 2, respectively, for introducing and releasing actuating hydraulic tiuid for operating the cylinder.

lA working head is secured to the upper cylinder cap 3 which holds various dies, etc. A head 10, Fig. 2, in cludes a pair of riser rods 15which extend away from the cylinder in axial alignment from 16 in the upper cylinder cap. A tapered pin 17 having its outer end threaded and a nut 18 secured thereto holds the riser rods in. place 'in the upper cylinder cap. The outer ends of the' riser rods are interconnected with a die bar 19 which is secured thereto by means of taper pins 20. A central opening 21 in the die bar is arranged to support various diesV used in the operation of hand-loading cartridges. The outer ends of the riser rods 15 are threaded and depth` control nuts 22 are mounted thereon. Reciprocally mounted on the riser rods 15 is a riser bar 23 whch is secured by means of taper pin 24 to the piston rod 25. A cartridge or shell holder 26 is secured to the riser bar by means of a taper pin 27, and the holder 26 is arranged to hold a shell or cartridge 28 during operations thereon.

j a'benchf-by' means of a bolt and nut assembly 41. For4 The cylinder 1 of the invention, described in detail in Fig. 2, includes a cylinder 30 mounted in a recess 31 in the lower cylinder cap2 and in a recess 32 in the upper cylinder cap 3. Thetie rod assemblies 4 hold the caps sealed on the cylinder. An O-ring seal 33 mounted in the'recess 31 between the cylinder 3@ and the head 2 .seals the cylinder in the head, and an O-ring seal 34 in the lrecess 32, likewise, seals the cylinder in the head 3. The tie rod assembly 4 secures the heads 2l and 3 together Vwith the cylinder 30 mounted therebetween. A piston assembly 35 is reciprocally mounted internally of the cylinder 30 and an O-ring seal 36 reciprocally seals the piston assembly therein. The piston rod 25 is securely Vsealed in the piston assembly 35 so that movement of the'pistonl movesthe rod 25. Hydraulic uid may be introduced'into the cylinder on one side of the piston- 35 through a threaded inlet 37 and to the other side of the piston through an inlet 38. For the two-wayk action fluid on one side must be released while activating uid` is introduced into the other side.

The die bar 19 is arranged to accommodate a majority4 of the dies available on the market today. The dies which may be used with the device are dies for various calibers of ammunition, bullet seaters, sizing dies,v

priming, and the like. The dies usefulfor the hand loading machine are threaded and use lock nuts to po' -sition the diel correctly in the die bar. The stop nuts 22 mounted on theriser bars limit the movement of the riser bar 23 toward the mounted die so that very accurate positioning of the die with respect to the cartridge may Paamma Dec. 15, .71959 convenience two heads are used since longer ,riser bars are required with the swager ,than with the brass working.

Also, the swager head is heavy and unwieldy for upright operation. A swager bolt 42 is reciprocally mounted in a bore 43 through v.the swager head, and a handle 44 which is mounted so as to travel in and out of slots 45 -in the swager head is mounted on the bolt and `is `a1'- rangcd to reciprocally move the bolt. The outer end of the bolt 42 has an axially aligned cavity 46 which is arranged to hold a bullet die 47 telescoped therein.. A set screw 48 passing through the wall into the cavity secures the die 47 in position in the cavity. The swager head 40 is secured Vto the upper cylinder cap 3 by means of tie rods 49 held together with the taper pins 17 in a manner similar to that of the other head. The die section 47 `contains the nose ogive 50 of the bullet. The other part of the die 51 is mounted on a spacer bar S2 whichiis secured by means `of taper pins 53 to therods 49. A set screw 65 is used to secure the die 51 to the spacerk bar 52.` The swager bolt 42 is arranged to slide back into the swager head to the position where handle 44 abuts `the end of the slots y45, thereby opening the die for releasing the swaged bullet. The bullet die 51 has a bore 54 which is tapered down tothe `dimensonedbore of the caliber of the bullet desired So that a bullet blank which is slightly oversized may be gradually swaged to sine in its travel into the ogive Section. The dieSl also contains a short extension or bullet tray 55 which permits a bullet to be placed so as to be in position to be pushed into the bore 54. A bullet swaging ram 56 is secured to the cylinder piston 2,5 by means of a connector 57. The connector is secured to the piston rod ,25 by means of a taper pin 58, and the swaging ram is held in the connector by means of a set screw 59.

The nose of the die 47 has a tapered end portion 61 which is arranged to t a shallow cavity 62 of the bullet die 51. s Since the formed bullet extends from the die 51 into the die 47, the lit between the two die portions must since the ogive 50 and the bore 54 are sized and shaped piston forcing the piston toward the left and forcing fluid through line 9 to the reservoir. By rotating the valve one-quarter of a revolution to the right, the system is reversed andv fluid under pressure is injected through line 9 into the left side of the piston forcing it to the right and simultaneously forcing uid from line 8 through the valve into the` reservoir. The piston may, kof course, be stopped at any point by rotating the valve to a shutoi position, thus controlling :themovement of the piston and its attached rod 25 and controlling the pressure exerted by it. l

In using the device for priming, sizing, necking, and like operations, the upright position A is utilized. The head 10 is placed in position by inserting a riser rod 15 into each hole 16 in the upper cylinder cap 3. The `taper pins 17 are then placed in position securely holding the head in place. The riser` bar 23 is then attached to the piston` rod 25 and `a cartridge holder 26 or other work in accordance with the particular bullet desired to be made, the dies are made and used in matched pairs.

In Fig. 4, the action of the swaging lock is illustrated in detail. Since the bullet is swaged under considerable pressure, a secure lock must be provided to hold the die 47 tightly against the die 51 in correct alignment. With the handle 44 in C position, at the end of the slot in the swager head, the die is open so that the two die parts are apart for bullet removal. In the D position with the handle 44 just outside the mouth of the slot 45, the dies are closed but not in locked position. By moving the handle laterally along a pair of ca m faces 63 the swager bolt is moved tightly against the die 51, and since the handle is moved to a position E where it cannot `enter the slot, the bolt is locked in position with the two die parts in tight engagement. AIn turning the handle 44 from position D to its position E, it travels along the wedgeshaped surfaces 63 forcing the bolt axially toward the` die 51 thereby holding the two die portions locked in close alignment.

The operation of the hydraulic system for the cylinder is schematically shown in Fig, 7, where the cylinder 1 includes hydraulic lines 8 and 9 which extend through the cylinder case and communicate with the spaces on either side of piston 35 reciprocally mounted in the cylinder. Hydraulic iiuid under pressure is injected on one side of the piston 35 and fluid from the other side is simultaneously released causing the piston to move in that direction forcing the hydraulic iuid back to the reservoir. A hydraulic pump 76 draws hydraulic fluid from a reservoir 74 through a line 75 and discharges it through an `outlet line 73'into a line 72 communicating with a four-.way valve 70. As shown in Fig. 7, the pressure line 72 communicates through the four-.way valve with holding device is then secured to the other side of .the riser bar 23. A die is mounted in the die bar 19 and secured in thek proper position. The stop nuts 22 are set to :pre-

vent an overtravel of the. piston rod in relation .tothe die 38 and opening inlet 37 to release pressure therefrom.

The dies mountable in the die hole 21 are readily interchanged so that all the functions for hand loading may be readily accomplished.

When it is desired to swage some bullets, the taper pins 17 are withdrawn and the head 10 is removed from the cap 3. The longer riser rods 49 are then inserted in the holes 16 and each taper pin is replaced to hold' the rods in. The desired dies 47 and 51 are mounted in the bolt 42 and spacer bar 52 respectively `and the handle is moved to position D to close the die. vA11 unswaged bullet, which is normally a lead core with a copper jacket, is placed on the tray 55 and on introducing hydraulic pressure into inlet 37, the ram 56 moves the unswaged bullet into the bore 54 and into the ogive 50, swaging the bullet to correct size. On releasing the hydraulic fluid from inlet 37 and introducing hydraulic uid into the `inlet 38, the ram is withdrawn from thel bore 54. The handle 44` is then moved to position D and subsequently to position C opening the dies from which the swaged bullet may be removed. The bullet swaging dies may be readily replaced so that any caliber or size of bullet may be swaged as desired.

The device may be so arranged that all functions are performed on a single set of riser bars, but, as pointed out, for convenience two sets of riser rods may be used. The Asame effect is possible, however, with either one or two sets. The hydraulic cylinder and its arrangement with the riser rod and bars permits accurate and efficient operation of all operations necessary for the mechanical working of hand loading small arms ammunition.

While the invention has been described by reference to specific embodiments, there is no intent to limit the scope thereof to the precise details so set forth, except as defined in the following claims.

I claim:V

l. A hand loading device for small arms ammunition comprising in combination, a double acting hydraulic cylinder having a head cap and a piston with an attached piston rod extending axially through said head cap, a pair of elongated riser `rods detachably secured to the headcapof said cylinder and extending in parallel alignment with said piston rod, a work holding assemblyl mounted on said rod and reciprocal therewith, means for axially guiding said work holding assembly reciprocally along said riser rod, a die supporting assembly releasably mounted -on the outer ends of said riser rod and arranged to position a held die in axial alignment with said work holding assembly, said die supporting assembly including means for supporting a transverse split swaging die, means for opening said split die to remove a swaged piece and means for locking said split die in tight closed position, and means for introducing and releasing actu ating uid into both sides of said piston for causing reciprocal movement thereof.

2. A device according to claim 1 in which the means for supporting said split swaging die includes a reciprocal bolt for supporting one half of said die and arranged to move said one half into and out of register with the other one half of said die.

3. A device according to claim 1 in which the means for supporting said split swaging die includes a reciprocal bolt for supporting one half of said die and arranged to move said one half into and out of register with the other one half of said die, a handle for reciprocally moving said bolt and a lateral cam arranged to permit said handle to move therealong to lock said bolt with said split die in swaging position..

4. In a hand loading device for small arms ammuniparallel alignment with said piston rod, means inclusive of tapered pins coacting with a tapered bore in opposed sides of said head cap and in each rod for releasably holding said rods in said head cap, a die supporting assembly releasably mounted on said riser rods andV arranged to position a held die in axial alignment with said piston rod, means mounted on said riser rods for v limiting outward movement of said pistonk rod, and

means inclusive of tapered pins and coacting tapered bores for mounting a work holding assembly on said rod whereby said assembly may be moved toward and away from a held die.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 900,532 Haughawout Oct. 6, 1908 1,550,284 Schmitt Aug. 18, 1925 1,642,344 Spencer Sept. 13, 1927 2,091,397 Shockey Aug. 31, 1937 2,136,459 VONeil Nov. 15, 1938 2,200,392 Goldberg May 14, 1940 2,546,203 Tucker Mar. 27, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 33,600 Germany Nov. 5, 1885 

